Former USC quarterback Jaxson Dart confirms transfer destination
Former USC quarterback Jaxson Dart, who on Jan. 10 entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, confirmed his transfer destination on Twitter: Ole Miss.
Dart’s tweet came just a day after reports surfaced that he had already committed and enrolled at Ole Miss. But now, the former four-star recruit made it official.
“In the short time we had, I feel sincere gratitude for our memories and relationships we created. They will last a lifetime. You will forever be family,” Dart said of his former USC teammates in his Twitter statement. “Now we heading to the ‘Sip. To Ole Miss Nation… LFG!”
Throughout the transfer process, Dart is believed to have considered both Ole Miss and Oklahoma, with BYU also giving its best shot; Dart even went so far as to tease potential commitments to both Ole Miss and Oklahoma in Twitter posts wearing Rebels and Sooners gear. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine listed Ole Miss as a runaway favorite prior to his commitment, with Lane Kiffin’s Rebels receiving a 98.4% chance of landing the coveted quarterback.
Dart was a four-star recruit heading into USC, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. After an impressive freshman campaign at USC, though, his value has only increased — Dart came in at No. 2 among all quarterbacks in the On3 Transfer Portal rankings, trailing only former Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams. Moreover, his ranking is not just No. 2 among all quarterbacks, but No. 2 among all players in the NCAA Transfer Portal, regardless of position. He’s high up on a particularly talented group of quarterbacks, ranking above the likes of Quinn Ewers, Spencer Rattler and Kedon Slovis.
Dart, a native of Draper, UT was projected as USC’s backup quarterback heading into the 2021 season, his true freshman year in Los Angeles. However, Dart made his collegiate debut in Week 3 — earlier than expected — after coming in for relief for Slovis, who exited on the opening possession with an injury. Dart showed flashes of what made him a highly-coveted, four-star recruit by completing 30 of his 46 passing attempts against Washington State, throwing for 391 passing yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. He was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week and Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for his performance.
At first, it seemed as though Dart was going to spark a bit of a quarterback controversy at USC. However, he suffered an injury of his own to his right meniscus. After playing the rest of the game with a brace and an apparent limp, he was then sidelined as he underwent surgery. He later returned just over a month later against Arizona.
By season’s end, Dart played six games for USC, making his debut on Sept. 18 and returning on Oct. 30 after the injury. He threw for 1,353 passing yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions, while holding a 61.9 completion percentage, and he also rushed for 43 yards and two more scores.